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Halflands
The Halflands is the largest and oldest of Hoffendale's protectorates, named for the population of halflings that dwell there. History Joining Hoffendale The Halflands thrived in the centuries before the drought of Pelor's Glory. During the drought the Halflands fared better than its neighbours, it's harvests were less bountiful than usual but enough to keep families fed. The kingdom of Jurt, which shared the Halflands' eastern border, suffered greatly during this period and launched a desperate invasion of the Halflands in 17 PG, beginning Reute's War. The Halflands lacked an organised military on the scale of Jurt's and lost ground quickly, defeated in several key battles by the tactical genius of Jurt's monarch, Queen Reute. The conflict dragged on as the drought continued with both forces suffering from limited supplies and arduous travel conditions. It was after several months of fighting that King Hoff of the eastern kingdom of Kurtsdale led an invasion into Jurt and the Halflands, swiftly defeating the remaining Jurtan forces. King Hoff offered the halfling lords a protectorship by his kingdom. He reasoned that by managing and better distributing the bountiful produce of the Halflands throughout the neighboring lands, such suffering as occurred in the war could be avoided in the future. The halfling lords would in return receive the protection of the military juggernaut that was the newly consolidated Jurtian and Kurtsdalian militaries. The support from the war-ravaged border provinces for such an agreement was too great for the halfling lords to refuse and they agreed to Hoff's terms. Long Night For more information on this event, see here. During the exodus of the vampiric nobility of Quel'Doran the Halflands were the most obvious region for their dread fleet to make landfall. As the blood-starved undead encroached upon the borders of the Halflands they found themselves repelled by the massed armies of Hoffendale who had been preemptively stationed by Queen Ganym. With the mountains of Thoruum to the south and the sunlit forests of Telinor to the north they were forced to sweep north through the Pass of Stracaralome. Though the defense was successful it soured the relationship between the peoples of the Halflands and Hoffendale. The military casualties were significant and the soldiers diverted to protect the Halflands left the northern province of Kadikloft vulnerable to the vampire's rampage. The contempt borne from the long night lingers today. Divine Era For more information on this era, see here. Rise of Tiamat The Halflands fell victim to cult activity in the prelude to Tiamat's arrival. Hoffendale martialed its forces after the War in the Silence, drawing away many of the roaming bands stationed to protect the Halflands. As a result, several villages and towns were sacked by the Hand. This has gave rise to a wave of discontent among the halfling lords, some of who accuse Hoffendale of dereliction. The issue of raiding cultists fell to the wayside when Tiamat launched her offensive in 17DE. The Halflands are now assailed by dragons who annihilate whole villages overnight in hit and run attacks. The halfling's reservist military has proven unable to answer this threat while losses continue to mount. Geography Regions Arfae Dwoun Telway The Greens The Greens are the rolling green hills that are most often associated with the Halflands. The Greens Structure Institutions Society Population The Halflands are extremely heavily populated, moreso than any other realm in Etan. This population is more evenly distributed than in other lands though cities are more densely populated than rural areas. Halfings unsuprisingly make up the overwhelming majority in the Halflands. Cities and border regions have larger populations of humans or elves but for the most part, living in miniature scale surroundings proves more arduous than charming. Language The Common Tongue The Common Tongue is dominant in throughout the Halflands. Political pressure from Hoffendale has led to the halfling lords suppressing more varied native languages and dialects. Tũanish Tũanish is the old halfling tongue. Mostly forgotten in favour of Common, it is still the root of much slang. There are dedicated groups of cultural reclamationists who seek to revive it. Trading Languages Elvish and Dwarvish are becoming increasingly commonly spoken in the north and the south of the Halflands as it's people more and more seek to engage in more independent trade. Quartering The peoples of the Halflands are stratified by a caste system which defines much of their society. Each caste is known as a quartering, of which there are six: * Princelyfolk - The ruling class. The Princelyfolk control the flow of wealth within the Halflands. Princelyfolk are the nobility, money lenders and landlords. * Velleyfolk - The Velleyfolk are of greater means than most and are accepted into institutes of education. They are most numerous in cities and river-lands. They have the widest range of occupations including priests, scholars, and merchants. * Soaks - Soaks are the merchant class. Descended from coastal communities; they travel up and down the Halflands in boat or caravan. While chiefly merchants they are often performers or lawmen. * Bũanfolk - Equivalent to the peasant class found in other lands. By far the most numerous, their quality of life can vary greatly by region. Bũanfolk are farmers, fishermen and simple craftsmen. * Palefolk - An ostracised and shunned caste in the Halflands. Descended from the palehand peoples that once dwelled in Telinor Forest, they are prohibited form owning land. Palefolk are sometimes farmworkers but more often miners, tanners or cobblers. * Outmen - Outmen has historically encompased groups who are not halflings, who are somewhat excluded from caste politics. It also includes those who have broken from their caste role and have met with success. Economy The Halflands have historically been a very healthy state economically. The Halfland's lush and bountiful farmlands are renowned throughout Etan. Much of these exports go south towards Thoruum and Schwarzmeer who lack in arable land with which to feed their people. Religion The Ten Worship of the Ten is common and assumed throughout the Halflands. Since the formation of Hoffendale, Halflanders have expanded their worship of the Ten, which previously extended only to five of the Ten. Lady River, Nana Raven and Little Raskin Sune, The Mockery and the Lady of Candles are the central figures of worship in the Halflands. They are known as Lady River, Little Raskin, and Nana Raven Lady River is the kind shepherd while Nana Raven perches in the Pale Forest, always beckoning the Lady's flock. Little Raskin is the trickster who calls out for the flock, trying to convince them to leave their safety to play in the fields but will lead them into the forest if they listen. They are portrayed as a three halflings, Sune a shepherd with her flock, encircled by a river, The Lady as an old crone in a cloak of black feathers and the Mockery as a small boy with a raven's tail. Hoffendale's drive towards cultural homogeneity has diminished this form of worship although it is still the most common. Sun and Owl The worship of Solonar and Pelor, or Old Owl and Hateful Sun is ubiquitous. A successful harvest is rewarded to their faithful. They are also regarded as the gods of night and day. Their depictions match the most classical ones, with Solonar as an owl, and Pelor as a man with the glowing face of the sun. The Twins Tiamat and Bahamut, known as the Twins are often ignored and poorly understood. Their tenets such as justice and ambition appeal little to the people of the Halflands. When they are invoked it is in the context of feuds, often ones between families. When depicted together it is as a pair of halflings (one red, one blue) engaged in a violent tussle as they roll around on the ground. The Hedge Sitters Devotees of Moradin, Aureon and Tempus (known as the Hedge-Sitters, alluding to their neutral outlooks) are uncommon. The peoples of the Halflands more often find themselves drawn to the more strongly typed of the Ten. They also find it difficult to relate to the focus on craft and dedication that these gods value. Moradin, sometimes called Dwarf-father, and Aureon are typically seen as gods for the dwarves and elves respectively. Tempus is most poorly viewed of all, as he is believed to have abandoned the Halflands during Reute's War. They are depicted together as a dwarf, an elf and a goblin, sitting together on a wall or hedge and often watching the Twins fighting. Category:Location Category:Etan Category:Halfling Category:Hoffendale